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Article THE LIFE OF XIMENES, ARCHBISHOP OF TOLEDO. ← Page 3 of 5 →
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The Life Of Ximenes, Archbishop Of Toledo.
phans , in the terminations of the right of heritage , and in many other respects , experience has fully attested . The second regulation was an order given to the curates to make out , during Easter ,-a list of all their parishioners , of those who had made confession , as well as those who had received the sacrament , in obedience to the commands of the church ; and within forty days to deliver it into the Archbishop , or to his Vicar-general of Toledo or of Alcala , that such as had been
remiss might be notified . After the synod was dissolved , he formed plans for public edifices , to promote which he was much inclined : he proposed erecting monasteries for monks and nuns , houses for indigent females , as inducements for them to marry ; he founded colleges for the instruction of youth ; andabove all others , the university of Alcala ; to protect
, and establish which afforded him , through the whole of his life , sensible pleasure . Whilst in his diocese his mind was thus occupied , the reform of the clergy , already begun , and which hi entertained the hope of perfecting , excited tumults in the kingdom . The Conventualists of St . Francis resisted all the proposals made to them . The greater part of
the nobility , fiom a principle of compassion , naturally sympathized with those whose life , in spite of themselves , it was determined to reduce to more rigid rules of austerity . Correction such as this had the appearance of oppression and violence . In their churches were deposited the tombs of their ancestors ; magnificent chapels were raisedand perpetual masses said . They entertained the idea that
, the Brethren of the Observance , who by their institution could possess no revenue , would willing ly get rid of duties , the burthen of which was laid upon others . It was reported that these funds . were ' to be applied to monasteries and colleges ; and that by these means , the memory of the foundation would perish , and the obligation of paying them would not fail to continue in their houses .
The Archbishop ' s credit surmounted all these obstacles in Spain ; but from the court of Rome , to whose decision this affair was to be submitted , he experienced the greatest opposition . The General , who was himself a conventualist , several times represented to the Pope , that under the pretence of reforming abuses , the destruction of his order was aimed at ; that by tempting them to desire the property of other mena door would be opened to scandalous
dissen-, sions amongst his brethren ; that in order to establish regularity , it was to be built upon the ruins of charity and subordination : in fine , that reformers had sprung up in Spain , who , unau : horized b y his Holiness , and uncommissioned by him , disposed of his order according to their caprice . He did not , on his part , refuse to re-establish disciplineand to restore the perfection of his order ; but he requested
-, per mission to send commissaries , who might be admitted to the company of such as were named by the Court ; that in case of their acting in Ijjs affairs contrary to his wishes and in defiance of his counsels , they . should not , at least , resolve without his participation . The Pope acquiesced in these reasonable demands , appointed the Bishop of Catane his Nuncio to the Court of their Catholic
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Life Of Ximenes, Archbishop Of Toledo.
phans , in the terminations of the right of heritage , and in many other respects , experience has fully attested . The second regulation was an order given to the curates to make out , during Easter ,-a list of all their parishioners , of those who had made confession , as well as those who had received the sacrament , in obedience to the commands of the church ; and within forty days to deliver it into the Archbishop , or to his Vicar-general of Toledo or of Alcala , that such as had been
remiss might be notified . After the synod was dissolved , he formed plans for public edifices , to promote which he was much inclined : he proposed erecting monasteries for monks and nuns , houses for indigent females , as inducements for them to marry ; he founded colleges for the instruction of youth ; andabove all others , the university of Alcala ; to protect
, and establish which afforded him , through the whole of his life , sensible pleasure . Whilst in his diocese his mind was thus occupied , the reform of the clergy , already begun , and which hi entertained the hope of perfecting , excited tumults in the kingdom . The Conventualists of St . Francis resisted all the proposals made to them . The greater part of
the nobility , fiom a principle of compassion , naturally sympathized with those whose life , in spite of themselves , it was determined to reduce to more rigid rules of austerity . Correction such as this had the appearance of oppression and violence . In their churches were deposited the tombs of their ancestors ; magnificent chapels were raisedand perpetual masses said . They entertained the idea that
, the Brethren of the Observance , who by their institution could possess no revenue , would willing ly get rid of duties , the burthen of which was laid upon others . It was reported that these funds . were ' to be applied to monasteries and colleges ; and that by these means , the memory of the foundation would perish , and the obligation of paying them would not fail to continue in their houses .
The Archbishop ' s credit surmounted all these obstacles in Spain ; but from the court of Rome , to whose decision this affair was to be submitted , he experienced the greatest opposition . The General , who was himself a conventualist , several times represented to the Pope , that under the pretence of reforming abuses , the destruction of his order was aimed at ; that by tempting them to desire the property of other mena door would be opened to scandalous
dissen-, sions amongst his brethren ; that in order to establish regularity , it was to be built upon the ruins of charity and subordination : in fine , that reformers had sprung up in Spain , who , unau : horized b y his Holiness , and uncommissioned by him , disposed of his order according to their caprice . He did not , on his part , refuse to re-establish disciplineand to restore the perfection of his order ; but he requested
-, per mission to send commissaries , who might be admitted to the company of such as were named by the Court ; that in case of their acting in Ijjs affairs contrary to his wishes and in defiance of his counsels , they . should not , at least , resolve without his participation . The Pope acquiesced in these reasonable demands , appointed the Bishop of Catane his Nuncio to the Court of their Catholic